Anyone here had spinal fusion?

[Jennasis]

Looks like I may be heading that way. I had my microdiscectomy 8 weeks ago, and about an hour after my 6 week follow-up (right after I told the surgeon I was doing GREAT and he cleared me to go back to my regular routine) the terribly leg, foot and back pain came screaming back. Pretty sure what little disc was left has re-ruptured. I see the doctor on Friday. I know there is no way they'll do a third discectomy. Fairly certain my insurance won't cover an artificial disc and those aren't recommended for lumbar area anyway, so that leaves me with fusion.

I am livid that the surgery failed. Livid at no one in particular of course...just the universe at large. I'm also terrified that fusion will make it so that I can no longer ride or train horses which is my livelihood. I'm worried that another chunk of time off will cause me to lose my part-time job which I LOVE. Worried that the lay up will be awful and that the discs above the fusion will eventually go kaput.

So help me out guys. If you've had one (one level) how long were you out of work? How was the pain post op and how long did the relief last? How much loss of flexability was there after? I'm looking at L5-S1 fusion. Anything else you can tell me??

 

[ols386]

I have a 3-level fusion in my cervical spine, and I was off work for 2 weeks, which wasn't anyways near long enough.

I later had surgery, going in through the back of my neck, for pins and rods to stabilize that section of the spine.

I can still turn my head, but not near as far as I used to be able to do.

Pain from the fusion wasn't that bad, but pain from the 2nd surgery was significant. I was off for 4 weeks after that, which also wasn't long enough.

Not sure what kind of work you do, but I would say don't rush going back to work.

As mentioned above, mine was cervical spine, rather than lumbar spine.

So sorry you have to go through this.

 

[Jennasis]

I work part time 3 days a week (5 hours a day) at the public library. LOVE it. It's actually the least stressful, easiest part of my week! They were VERY accommodating of my surgery 8 weeks ago, and are wonderful folks, but I'm worried that a month or more off, particularly right after the 2 weeks I took for the micro-d, will be too much for them to bear out. The job is mostly sitting or standing. No lifting, and I can do it without any bending.

My full-time job on the farm is 7 days a week, essentially 24 hours a day LOL. But I have a great team of employees and helpers who are more than willing to pitch in for any extended period of time while I recover. It's the AFTERmath of recovery I'm worried about. If I can't ride ever again, I'm screwed.

Gah. I'm just really upset right now.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Look into ozone therapy to see if you're a candidate for that. I know they've finally started doing it in the states.

 

[tina.tina]

My Dad had it done about 6 years ago and he continued to have pain. A year later, they told him he needed both hips replaced and the pain had probably been coming from his hips all along. I'm not sure why they hadn't looked at his hips previously other than he had previous back issues and a slipped disc at about 30 years old and they just assumed the mess in his back was his only issue. So, make absolutely sure that your back is actually the main problem.

I wasn't going to tell you this because I don't want to scare you. I actually erased it and then retyped it because I realized that I would tell my acquaintances this IRL. I think it's an important PSA about making sure you have blood thinners if you might be sedentary for a while. I'm definitely not saying this to scare. About a week after my Dad's surgery, he was getting up to make his own sandwiches when Mom wasn't home and doing pretty well (except for hip pain). Something triggered Guillan-Barre syndrome and he had some paralysis, fatigue, and other issues as a result for a while afterwards. They gave him blood products in the hospital ASAP so it didn't get as bad as it could have. They didn't discharge him with blood thinners, even though he was on them in the hospital and he was even more sedentary due to the fatigue and partial paralysis. He developed blood clots in his calf and actually had a heart attack as a result. He still has to take blood thinners and probably always will and he still has swelling and has to wear a compression stocking on one leg. My Dad is terrified to have hip replacement surgery now even though he lives with almost constant pain.

PS: I also wanted to say that I saw a commercial on tv about a spine center somewhere that said there are alternatives to fusion. I know another person who had spinal fusion around the same time as my Dad. He went back to work (office job) part time a few weeks after surgery and I think they had actually put a cage around his spine.

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[Jennasis]

I don't think the pain is blood clots. The pain is similar to what it was like before surgery (traveling along the nerve root like before but not as severe)...definitely not my first time at the "radiculopathy rodeo" LOL. I walk about an average of 3.5-4 miles a day so I'm not sedentary.

If i can't ride I would be devastated...sure i can still teach, but riding is everything to me. I might sooner choose to forgo fusion and spend life on partially useless pain meds and injections.

I suppose I'll just have to wait until I see the doc on Friday (technically it's the surgeon's PA as the surgeon's schedule is full until March).

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[indygirl99]

I had L5-S1 fusion 10 years ago. I was back to work after 2 weeks because I begged my doctor to let me go back. I am an RN and have had no problems working 12 hour shifts. In the last 3 years I have run 5 half marathons and several 5K and 10K's with no problem. I know running is not the same as horseback riding but the jolting can be similar.

At the time I had my surgery there were 4 of us that had similar fusions. One had the same surgeon I did and was back to work after 6 weeks. The other 2 had a different surgeon. One took almost a year to return to work and the other was never able to return. I think a lot of your recovery depends on the skill of the surgeon as well as you.

Sending good thoughts your way for a successful surgery, a quick recovery and many happy days riding and training.

 

[crz4mm2]

I had a cervical fusion done last year( with discectomy). It was C6/7. I had relief immediately. I had the normal soreness post op but I would not say it was particularly painful. I took 2 weeks off work and was itching to get back.
My DH had lumbar done last year as well. He had 6 weeks off work. He had a LOT of post op pain. But he is good to go now.

 

[tina.tina]

I don't think the pain is blood clots. The pain is similar to what it was like before surgery (traveling along the nerve root like before but not as severe)...definitely not my first time at the "radiculopathy rodeo" LOL. I walk about an average of 3.5-4 miles a day so I'm not sedentary.

If i can't ride I would be devastated...sure i can still teach, but riding is everything to me. I might sooner choose to forgo fusion and spend life on partially useless pain meds and injections.

I suppose I'll just have to wait until I see the doc on Friday (technically it's the surgeon's PA as the surgeon's schedule is full until March).

I didn't mean your pain was blood clots. I meant that the majority of my Dad's pain was actually coming from his hips instead of his back. They never even checked his hips before his back surgery because the doctor apparently assumed the pain was just from his back issues. Maybe your pain isn't just coming from your back. Have they checked your hips? I would think that hips might be an issue for an avid horseback rider because of the constant position of the legs.

My Dad has always been very active. He owns a farm (with cows- not horses). He was an electrician and a plumber and has built a few homes by himself. His enduring hip pain has changed his entire life. He let his plumbing license go and quit breeding cows because he couldn't be sure that he would physically be able to deal with them during birth or things the young calves might need afterwards. He is strongly resisting using an ECV at WDW this fall but he can't really handle a lot of walking at a local outlet shopping center or mall. So, I understand the worry you have about how your life could be affected. My Dad actually did well after his back surgery (until the Guillan-Barre) and if that had been his real problem (and not his hip issues), he would have been good to go. He hasn't had the hip replacements done because he is worried about a recurrence of Guillan-Barre or further issues with blood clots. He continues to take blood thinners.

I mentioned the blood clot issue because you could be sedentary for a while if you have to have another surgery. When this happened to my Dad, I read that the number one reason that someone dies from blood clots (heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism) is because they are mistakenly discharged from the hospital without blood thinners. Blood thinners may be necessary when a person is unable to move as much as usual post surgery (or in other instances like Guillan-Barre). The article I read was written by a doctor several years ago and said until people start suing for malpractice as a result of this error, the medical community isn't going to take this seriously enough to change their practices to ensure these mistakes don't happen. My Dad is not the type of person to sue anybody so he didn't do it even though that is the only reason he had a heart attack and has to wear a compression stocking for the rest of his life.

I know things have changed at some facilities. When I had went in the hospital last year, they automatically put the sequential compression devices on my legs even though I was only there to have a PICC line inserted and total parenteral nutrition. So they are apparently taking this more seriously. I had surgery after that at a different hospital and I had those compression devices on my legs when I woke up from surgery. They told me to keep them on when I was in bed during my overnight stay. They also discharged me with a week of blood thinners because I was supposed to take it easy after surgery and would be laying around. If you have to have surgery again, definitely ask if you should be on blood thinners for a while to prevent any issues.

 

[Jennasis]

I remember them putting those things on my legs prior to surgery for preventing clots. Like an air pressure cuff? Havent had my hips checked i guess because the MRI showed a clear rupture and nerve compression at the L5/S1 which corresponds to the pain route down my leg. I wont rule anything out though!

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I mentioned it up thread but here's some info on ozone therapy. It's a single injection into the disk space done as an out-patient procedure, only requiring a couple days of down time, and has a high rate of long term success. If you don't get relief from it surgery is still an option. It may be something to consider.

http://www.ajnr.org/content/24/5/996.full

 

[yoopermom]

I am a librarian, horse lover, bad back sufferer, so my sympathies go out to you .

If it makes you feel any better, the fusion surgery has improved by leaps and bounds over the years; however, every patient is different, and all doctors are not the same when it comes to ability (not to mention that only God knows what your final results will turn out to be).

I have gone for a number of consults, and here's what I've come to believe in:

1)Get multiple opinions from the very, very, very best doctors that you can afford. Be up front and honest about the importance of what you want the outcome to be (in your case being able to ride).Make them be honest with you about the length and type of recovery, odds of success, and long term outcome. Don't be surprised if five different doctors have five different answers. No matter how good of a rep the doctor might have, if at any point along the way you feel uneasy, bail off. It's your spine, and you want the absolute best results possible! If it means traveling a long distance, or paying out of network (if you can afford to), then do it in order to have the best. There are lots of doctors who do spinal fusions. I've met TWO who I would actually consider letting touch mine.

2)Your jobs: I bet you are GREAT in the library, so even if your current place won't hold your position, know that they or someone else will pick you back up eventually (even if you have to volunteer for awhile first). The horse thing is tricky, because they are so darn unpredictable. Can you either cut way back, hire extra help, delegate, call in favors, etc? Everything I've been told is that the healing time is just as important as the surgery itself, and that if you rush it, you could wreck it. All it would take is one horse giving you a headbutt and knocking you down, and then... The good news is that they've come a long way with being able to help you maintain flexibility and so even though you may never be an Olympic level rider, you will probably be able to hack around the fields just fine (once you're fully healed). When I get mine done, they're going to have to fuse very low, so I may lose my ability to pelvic tilt, which will mean no more posting (or very weird posting) but oh well. I wouldn't plan on lifting and twisting to throw hay bales any time soon . My DH says he'll buy me a driving Morgan if the worst happens and I absolutely can't ride.

3)It's okay to be really p.o.ed at the world right now. It's probably going to get worse before it gets better. The surgery is going to be major, recovery is going to take all you've got, family and friends are going to have to step up, and life afterwards might be much different than what it was before. But, eventually, even if it's in a year or two, you'll look back and think, "My life is different now, but it's ok."

I've put off my own fusion for years, but have a dear friend who went to a doctor at UW-Madison this past fall who's doing cutting edge fusion surgeries. She was home and walking, walking, walking before you could say "get better soon". She just went for her four month followup, and has been told to basically do whatever is comfortable for her that she used to do before (in her case volleyball). She's straight, has pretty good mobility in her trunk, and is 98% pain free. Was it fun, no, but was it worth it, yes.

Good luck to you, and feel free to PM me if you just want to vent....I get it .

Terri

 

[EmJay2001]

My dh had surgery 18 years ago. He has had great luck with spinal decompression from his chiropractor.

 

[Jennasis]

I can take all the time off from the farm I need. Plenty of help there. I have another instructor we employ who can cover my lessons as long as I need to. Honestly I'm not worried about time off from the farm. I also have a very important trip to Los Angeles in July (an almost 3 week work trip) that I CANNOT miss. At all. It's out of the question...and DH is having a total knee replacement as soon as I return from the trip to LA. Timing is really terrible. Ugh.

'Scuse me while I go punch a wall...

 

[Jennasis]

Here's another question for you...what about (I know this may sound trivial) riding rides at WDW? Disney is very much our thing, DH and I and I'd be pretty devastated if a fusion meant no more rides on Splash or Space Mountain. Again...in the grand scheme it may seem like a silly worry, but it's nagging me.

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[Jennasis]

Yep. Appointment is tomorrow. So worried what they're going to say. Oy!

 

[Luvchefmic]

Yep. Appointment is tomorrow. So worried what they're going to say. Oy!

You have my thoughts and prayers.